For my freshman year of college, I lived in a three-bedroom suite on the second floor of one of my university’s dormitories with four other girls, sandwiched between two similar suites each housing five boys. During our first quarter, one of my roommates developed a crush on one of those guys, and when we found out his birthday fell shortly after our winter break, she wanted to bake him a cake.

The rest of us girls pitched in to make it feel less awkward for her. We piled into our dorm’s itty bitty communal kitchen, stirring together a store-bought cake mix (it’s the best we could do while living in the dorms without a pantry!) to pop in the oven and topping it with canned vanilla frosting once it cooled.

That evening, we knocked on the door of the suite to our left, and when the boy pulled it open to answer, we held out the pan and exclaimed, “Happy birthday!” He looked absolutely shocked, staring down at the sprinkle-topped cake with nineteen candles peeking out of the frosting with his eyes as wide as saucers and his mouth slightly open, but he quickly recovered, smiled, and invited us inside while the rest of the boys wandered out from the bedrooms.

Because we baked a standard 13×9” cake and left it in the pan to deliver (we didn’t own a platter big enough to hold the entire cake!), we only decorated the top and skipped the sides, so we ended up with extra frosting. We placed the can in our mini fridge, knowing it’d last for a while, and figured we’d use it when we baked something else.

A few days later, we cracked open a fresh box of Teddy Grahams to snack on while studying for midterms. After a few bites, we remembered the vanilla frosting in our fridge and decided to dip the little bears in it for a sweet treat. We quickly fell into a routine, asking each other a few chemistry quiz questions and nibbling on a frosting-topped Teddy Graham as a reward for a correct answer…

And pretty soon, we ran out of frosting!

With our dorm located right around the corner from a pharmacy with a fairly extensive food section, we picked up another can of vanilla frosting and box of Teddy Grahams the next day on our way back from campus, and we fell into the same routine while continuing to study that evening. I absolutely loved that ritual of vanilla-frosted Teddy Grahams—they were the best midterm motivation!

Because school recently started in my hometown, those memories resurfaced multiple times throughout the past few weeks. Although I haven’t consumed much vanilla frosting since my freshman college days and don’t miss it too much, I still started craving those sweet little bears… So I baked these Healthy Homemade Chocolate Teddy Grahams! They taste like the ones sold in grocery stores, but they contain no refined flour, refined sugar, or artificial ingredients!

Which basically means… It’s totally okay to eat as many handfuls as I want, right??

Since not everyone lives in the US and grew up munching on them as after-school snacks like I did, let’s talk about them briefly!

Teddy Grahams are an American product shaped like itty bitty teddy bears about half the size of your thumb, and they come in multiple flavors: honey, cinnamon, chocolate chip, chocolate, and {the newest addition} birthday cake. They’re crunchy with a sweetness level somewhere between animal crackers or graham crackers and cookies, and they’re usually considered a snack food. (At least by the mainstream US population… Seeing as grocery stores stock them on their snack aisles!)

Teddy Grahams (and graham crackers, too!) earned their names because they include graham flour as an ingredient. Graham flour is named after Sylvester Graham, who developed a special method of grinding wheat to turn it into flour. Because graham flour still includes the wheat kernel’s outer bran layer and germ in addition to the endosperm (whereas white all-purpose flour only contains the endosperm), it has lots of health benefits, like extra fiber and nutrients!

Since most grocery stores don’t stock graham flour, we’re going to use white whole wheat flour in this copycat recipe. It also contains the outer bran, germ, and endosperm, so it has a very similar flavor.

White whole wheat flour is made from a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This type of wheat gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, and it allows the sweet, chocolaty flavor of our homemade Teddy Grahams to shine!

Note:Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great substitute! My taste testers found that homemade Teddy Grahams made with regular whole wheat flour had a more pronounced “wheat-y” flavor that masked some of their sweetness.

Next, you’ll need unsweetened cocoa powder. That’s right, just regular ol’ cocoa powder! We’re adding enough to the dough to give these cute little bears a rich chocolaty flavor, so no need to use Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. This is the type that I use, and I always keep at least two of the jumbo-sized containers in my pantry. I’m a huge chocoholic (that’s why I published my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!) and go through it really quickly!

Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten your Teddy Grahams with pure maple syrup. Be sure to buy the good stuff! Skip the pancake syrups or sugar-free syrups; those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” It’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, and I’ve also bought it in bulk online.

Once you’ve mixed up the dough, it’s time to roll it out and cut it into those adorable bear shapes! I highly recommend using a silicone baking mat and a silicone rolling pin. (← Those are the inexpensive ones that I own {a black color for the rolling pin instead}, and they’re worth every penny!) The silicon material prevents the dough from sticking to both your work surface and your rolling pin, and it makes the whole process go so much faster!

I bought my itty bitty teddy bear cookie cutters online here, and they were so inexpensive. I absolutely love them! I used the middle-sized bear, which was almost exactly the same size as the original Teddy Grahams. (It yielded a lot more bears from the dough than I expected, too!)

Then transfer those little cut-outs to a fresh baking sheet, pop them in the oven, and…

These cute bear-shaped chocolaty snack crackers are absolutely irresistible! They’re crunchy and lightly sweetened with the perfect amount of chocolaty flavor. They’ll keep for at least one week (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container. This recipe is easily doubled to serve more, too!

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in the maple syrup, water, and coconut oil (in that order). Stir until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. (It will take some extra effort at the end!)

It’s very important to measure both the flour and the cocoa powder correctly, as outlined in the links above. Too much of either will dry out the dough. If the dough won’t come together after a few minutes of stirring and working in the ingredients, add additional water ½ teaspoon at a time until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. In a pinch, regular whole wheat flour may also be substituted, but the teddy grahams will have a more distinct “wheat-y” flavor.

Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. For a sweeter flavor, substitute additional pure maple syrup (or honey or agave) for some of the water.

Melted butter or any oil may be substituted for the coconut oil.

I highly recommend using a silicone baking mat and a silicone rolling pin. (← Those are the inexpensive ones that I own {just the rolling pin in black}, and they’re worth every penny!) The silicone material prevents the dough from sticking to both your work surface and your rolling pin, and it makes the whole process go so much faster! Instead, you may use any clean surface for rolling and a regular wooden rolling pin, but you'll need to use a lot more flour to ensure the dough doesn't stick to either.

I bought my itty bitty teddy bear cookie cutters online here, and I absolutely love them! I used the middle-sized bear, which was almost exactly the same size as the original Teddy Grahams.

If you prefer, you may slice the dough into squares instead after rolling it out. The squares generally take longer to bake. This is because the bear cut-outs sit on the countertop for a longer period of time while you punch out the rest, so the dough begins to dry out a bit. (That’s perfectly fine! It just means they don’t bake as long in the oven.)

The leftover dough may be recombined and rolled out to cut out more bears. If it’s too dry to stick together, moisten your hands with a little water before kneading it back together.

Comments

Aww, these teddy bears look so adorable and delicious! I enjoyed reading that little story about when you were in college – that’s what I love about your recipes Amy, they always have so much thought behind them, whether it’s a story, a memory, an event, a birthday, they are always special for a particular reason☺. These teddies dipped in vanilla frosting sounds yummy, especially if it’s a reward for correct answers during revision – that’s such a good idea! I’m a huge fan of cheesecake, so maybe I should make a cream cheese frosting to dip these into – I’ll make the cream cheese frosting from your carrot cake recipe😍! We don’t have Teddy Grahams over here in the UK, but they’re such a fun idea! Only 6 ingredients, AND they’re healthy?! I’m definitely making these…..now!😄 I’ll let you know how they went….

Thank you so much Katie! I’m really glad you’re enjoying the stories. They’re my favorite part to write… Maybe I’ll have to collect them all into a book and publish it someday! 🙂 I absolutely LOVE your idea of cream cheese frosting for dipping these into — that sounds phenomenal! Now I just might have to try that too… 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the teddy grahams!

That’s such a good idea to publish your stories as a book – I would definitely read it!! I made these teddy grahams this morning, and used some leftover cream cheese frosting to dip them into – they made such a delicious breakfast! The taste of the cream cheese frosting paired SO well with the chocolaty flavour of the teddies – almost like the cream cheese was a cheesecake filling, and the teddies were a chocolate biscuit base! x

How CUTE!!! I love the story about the teddy grahams and vanilla frosting. One of my friends in college introduced me to something similar- Nilla wafers and vanilla frosting!! I shudder to think about a time that I would have eaten that as a “snack…” if only my metabolism was still that fast!!

YES!! We loved doing that with Nilla wafers too! We actually did that in band in high school… I’m pretty sure it was the year after you graduated because it was the year after me that introduced me to it. 🙂 And I would LOVE to have a kid’s metabolism again — that’d be a dream come true!!

The type of whole wheat flour that I use has those little flecks of the wheat kernel still left intact after the milling process. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of the teddy grahams if you try them Mary!

Ok, it’s the thid time that I’m trying to bake these but I’m always ending up eating the raw dough!
I promise I’ll use the oven next time! 🙂
Anyway it’s such a tasty and delicious recipe, Amy! I’m not surprised though, coming from you!

Could you please tell me how many are in a serving. I haven’t baked them yet, waiting for the rolling pen and cookie cutter to come in. However, everything else I have tried from this site has been DELISH so I know these will be also.

I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Franny! It means a lot to me that you’d purchase the rolling pin and cookie cutter just to make these. That info is available on the Nutrition Information, which is linked to underneath the recipe. It can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!

I made these over the weekend and they were not only easy, but totally delicious!! 😋 I used all-purpose gluten-free flour! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe, Amy! Chocolate teddy grahams were always one of my favorites growing up, so it was MAGICAL being able to have them again!! 😘 LOVE. ❤️️

I’m SO glad you loved them Sabrina! Your IG photo was absolutely darling. ♡ (Such gorgeous nail art too!) That means a lot to me that you enjoyed the homemade Teddy Grahams so much, and I’m really glad I’m not the only one who called them my favorite childhood snack! 😉

It’s hard to argue with that, especially when it comes to tastes about chocolate foods! 😉 Those brownies are my family’s favorite, so I really hope you love them too! And for some reason, I didn’t realize you’re in the Scottsdale region… My aunt lived there for a long time! I loved visiting her during the winter because it was so much warmer than the rest of the country!

Yes! You can never go wrong with chocolate! 😋🍫 That’s so great that your raspberry brownies are a family favorite! I’m sure I’ll love them just as much!! Oh really?! That’s so ironic! The winters are nice, but the summers … that’s another story☀️🔥 😖🔥It’s so awesome that you live in California!! #goals lol 😊

I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Cassie! If your daughter isn’t a fan of chocolate, then I recommend this wheat cracker recipe of mine instead! (You can easily use bear-shaped cookie cutters with that recipe, if you’d prefer cute shapes instead of squares!) 🙂 I’d love to hear what you and your daughter think if you try the crackers!

The Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is perfect for any and all chocolate lovers. Whether you enjoy chocolate occasionally or every single day (that’d be me!), there are plenty of goodies inside for you!
Healthier Chocolate Treats contains 50+ brand new healthier recipes. These recipes have never been seen before or appeared on my blog. You won’t find them anywhere else!
And yes—every single one contains some form of chocolate. Whether you prefer milk, dark or white, there are lots of treats inside for you!
What Inspired You to Write Healthier Chocolate Treats?
I have always loved chocolate. Every Halloween throughout my childhood, I inverted the entire contents of my bright … Read More

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